Pulmonology

Pulmonology, also known as pneumology, is the branch of clinical medicine that studies diseases of the respiratory organs: the trachea, bronchi, lungs and pleurae. It is generally considered a branch of internal medicine, although it is closely related to intensive care or critical care medicine when dealing with patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Pulmonology is referred to as chest medicine or respiratory medicine in some countries. However, chest medicine is strictly speaking an inclusive term which pertains to the treatment of diseases of the thoracic cavity and contains the fields of pulmonology, thoracic surgery and intensive care medicine.

Interventional pulmonology is a relatively new field within pulmonary medicine that deals with the use of procedures such as flexible bronchoscopy to treat several pulmonary diseases. Other methods used in pulmonology are X-rays (tomography, bronchography, angiopneumography and pneumomediastinography), functional diagnosis (investigation of the functions of external respiration and blood circulation of the lungs), laboratory studies of sputum and bronchial rinsing fluid and needle aspiration of the bronchi, lungs, and lymph nodes.

Pleural diseases involve the parietal and visceral pleura and may be of either inflammatory or malignant origin, often resulting in pleural effusions. The diagnostic evaluation of pleural effusions includes chemical and microbiological studies as well as cytological analysis, which can provide further information about the etiological disease process.

This new minimally invasive treatment is suitable for both acute and chronic conditions of the lung and is a promising new approach for treating diseased lung in emphysematous patients or damaged lung resulting in air leaks by limiting airflow to selected areas of the lung.

Flexible bronchoscopy is widely used in the diagnosis of respiratory pathologies in children of any age. Foreign body removal, biopsies and bronchoscopic cytology present common challenges that can be met with selection of the appropriate techniques and instruments.